Medical Records Storage Calculator

Chart storage cost: physical vs EHR migration.

Active patient charts

Inactive patient charts

Avg pages per chart

Retention period (years)

Off-site cost per chart/month ($)

Office rent per sq ft/year ($)

Scanning cost per page ($)

EHR monthly cost per provider ($)

Number of providers

Tab to move between fields

Total annual physical cost

$76,100.00

≈ 7 years of state college

Lifetime EHR cost

$1,155,800.00

≈ 3 average U.S. homes

Total charts13,000

Annual physical storage cost$63,600.00

Lifetime physical cost$532,700.00

One-time scanning cost$1,040,000.00

EHR first year cost$1,069,400.00

Annual EHR cost$14,400.00

EHR break-even (years)17.1

Lifetime savings with EHR-$623,100.00

How to Use This Calculator

Enter Active patient charts and Inactive patient charts along with Avg pages per chart for your practice.
Set Retention period (years) — most states require 6–10 years; check your state medical board for specifics.
Enter Off-site cost per chart/month and Office rent per sq ft/year to calculate the ongoing physical storage cost.
Input Scanning cost per page and EHR monthly cost per provider to model the EHR digitization alternative.
Review Total annual physical cost vs EHR first year cost to compare the two storage strategies.
Check EHR break-even (years) and Lifetime savings with EHR to decide whether digitization is cost-effective for your volume.

How the result changes with Active patient charts

Active patient charts: Charts for patients seen within the last 2-3 years.
Inactive patient charts: Charts for patients not seen recently but still within retention period.
Avg pages per chart: Average number of pages in a patient chart.
Retention period (years): Required records retention period. Most states require 6-10 years.
Off-site cost per chart/month ($): Monthly cost per chart at off-site storage facility.
Office rent per sq ft/year ($): Annual rent per square foot for on-site chart storage space.
Scanning cost per page ($): Cost to scan and index each page into EHR system.
EHR monthly cost per provider ($): Monthly EHR subscription or hosting cost per provider.
Number of providers: Providers using the EHR system.

Total charts: Combined active and inactive chart count.
Annual physical storage cost: Yearly cost for on-site and off-site physical chart storage.
Total annual physical cost: Storage plus handling, retrieval, and filing labor.
Lifetime physical cost: Total physical storage cost over retention period.
One-time scanning cost: Cost to digitize all existing paper charts.
EHR first year cost: Scanning + setup + first year subscription.
Annual EHR cost: Ongoing yearly EHR subscription cost.
Lifetime EHR cost: Total EHR cost over retention period including setup and scanning.
EHR break-even (years): Years for EHR savings to offset digitization investment. -1 = never.
Lifetime savings with EHR: Net savings (or cost) of EHR vs physical over retention period.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Active patient charts = 5000, Inactive patient charts = 8000, Avg pages per chart = 80, Retention period (years) = 7 = 9 input(s) provided
Calculate Total annual physical cost
Total annual physical cost = annualPhysicalCost + annualHandlingCost
76100 = $76,100
Calculate Lifetime EHR cost
Lifetime EHR cost = scanningCost + ehrSetupCost + (annualEHRCost * retentionYears)
1155800 = $1,155,800
Calculate Total charts
Total charts
13000 = 13000
Calculate Annual physical storage cost
Annual physical storage cost = annualOnSiteStorageCost + annualOffSiteCost
63600 = $63,600